The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-01-12
THE FORTY-NINTH CONGRESS-
The Senate Continues to Debate the Gull
lom Interstate Commerce Bill.
ment Of Agriculture, and Talks Enter
tainingly About PleurO-PneumOnia.
THE SENATE.

Vote To Be Taken To-Day.
WASHINGTON. Jan. n.-Mr. Dawes, from the
committee on Indian affairs reported back, with
amendments. the House bill granting to the st.
Paul, Minneapolis g. Manitoba Railroad Com
pany the right of way through Indian reserEa-
tions in northern Montana and northwestern
Dakota Placed on the calendar
Mr.. Cameron, from the committee on military
affairs, reported bill for the relief of telegraph
operators during the war. Placed on the calen-
dar.
Mr. Mitchell, of Pennsylvania, from the COM
mittee pensions, reported back the Senate
bill TO equaize the pensions to be paid to SOL
diers and sailors who became totally disabled.
Placed on the calendar.
Mr.. Hawley presented memorial of some
residents of Washington county. Texas, stating
that they had been denied their rights as citi-
gems by the authorities of that county, and ap-
pealing for redress to the government of the
United States. Referred
Mr.. Sherman Thy reouest) introduced bill to
reimburse the depositors of the Freedmen's
Bank of Washington. Referred.
Mr.. Cockrill, from the committee on military
affairs, reported back, without amendment, the
House bill to release to the cityof San Antonio.
Tex, for use as public thoroughfare, certain
portions of the military reservation there. and,
Dn motion OF Mr.. Coke. the bill was considered
and passed.
On motion of Mr. Henderson the House bill
for the relief of settlers and purchasers Of the
public domain In Nebraska and Kansas was
taken MP and considered, the question being on
the substitute reported by tine committee on
public lands. The substitute appropriates $780,
900 to REIN burse the purchasers homesteaders
and pre-emptors who had to pay for their lands
to the Northern Kansas Railroad Company,
which was decided by the Circuit Court of the
limit Cd tot IN hnu nrInr tn hal andc
the basis of REIN bursement being 90 so acre.
After discussion tbs substitute was agreed to-
yeas 3. nays IL; and the bill, ss thus amended.
was passed and a conference asked.
Tho Senate then, at o'clock, resumed consd
Grafton of tho interstate commerce bill, and was
addressed by Mr.. Coke in favor of the confer
ence report The intelligent judgment Of the
country, he said, would approve it not because
it was all that the people had right to demand
or because it gave them justice, hut because, al
though falling greatly below the standard in
both these regards, 1t was beeinning-a good
long step in the right direction, which might be
added to and supplemented in the future and
might he, by the light of experience perfected
SO as to be absolutely right and
effective. The bill went no further than
the English law regulating railroads,
except that the latter did not prohibit
pooling, hut require such agreement to be sub
mitted to the court of commissioners, and to be
absolutely free from injury to the interests Of
tha people. 1t was strictly IN line, too. with the
principles Of the common law In conclusion,
ha said that it remained to he seen whether COR
porate power was so intrenched in the Senate
that the pending bill was to share the fate of its
predecessors
Mr.. Harris, one of the three Senate conferees,
made an argument i'll favor Of the bill. The
country, he said, had for more than ten years;
and still demanded that the carrying trade be
fairly and Justly regulated by the government.
The construction sought to be given to the
fourth section, as to the long and short haul,
nsl - 49,
section was that the carriers should not demand
larger gross sum for hauling carload of grain
other freight over part OF its line than was
demanded for hauling similar carload OF the
same class of freight over its whole line
One effect of it would be to put All end
to those ruinous competitions for through
freight known as rate wars" When a railroad
company was made to understand that the law
prohibited it from charging greater sum over a
part of its line than 1t demanded for its whole
line, 1t would be somewhat reluctant to commit
the financial sucide involved in the through
freight wars in which rates were not in
frequently fixed in an angry, unreasonable and
reckless manner. 1t would allow fair and
healthy competition and would fix rates itt
through traffic that wculd be the standard of its
maximum local rates.
Mr.. Mcpherson asked Mr. Harris whether
in his opinion, the natural and inevitable effeo
of the fourth section would or would not be K
increase the through rates.
Mr.. Harrs-I am satisfied that the effect Of
the bill will DE to prevent what is known as rate
wars. which sometimes reduce through rates t.
arunous point, and they ought to be prevented
But, as to honest, legitimate, fair and square
through rates. there is not in my opinion, single
feature of the bill that will necessarily increase
through rates. On the contrary, l think tn,
probabilities that they will be lowered; but
at all events, they will be uniform and stable
Mr. McPherson-I am very much obliged Il
the Senator for that answer. The inevitable
therefore. Is that unless every railroad compan,
in the country goes into bankruptcy the through
rates must be fixed at points that will give TAI
and 90 uitable compensation for the local bust
ness. In other words. the through rates mus
be equitable and compensatory. To day. 80 pc
cent. of all the exported products of the country
Is carried by the railroads at rates which scarcely
pay the cost of doing the work. That is tn
thing which the Senator complains of-that tn
through rates are too low and that the local rate
are made comparatively high. SO as to pay divi
dends. Now, IL the local rate is made reasona
BILE in the same sense the through rate Is mad
reasonable, the natural and inevitable conse
quence is that the through rate will be mad
greater And what is the result as 10 our ez
ported products2 Indie now controls the whea
market of London. England has spent. within
few years past, $500 900 900 in constructing road
to move grain from the wheat fields of Indi
to the seashore. This has given cheaI
or food to England, and has compelled
in this country, a reduction of the cost of tran.
portation to one-half cent ton per mile. Tn
plan which the railroads have adopted, of ehart
ing no more than the product would bear,
the plan that has moved the grain from the gres
grain fields of the West and put il in the LoI
don market ip competition with India Not
have reduced the rates would have been to PIT
the corn of the West into the stoves for fue
and to abandon the competition with India.
w Mr. Camden asked Mr.. Mcpherson wheth<
there was any reason why the grain shipper
West Virginia. Ohio, Indiana Illinois shoui
be Disseminated against in favor of the grail
shipper whose product was carried 1000 mile
1t occurred to him that the fact was lost sigh
of that there were other sections of the countr
that supplied products for export besides Il
border and far Western States.
Mr. Mcpherson replied that that discrimn
ton was what he wanted to guard the Senator
constituents against. There was no intelligel
men who wonld not say that rate from We
Virginia to the seaboard high as the ra
from Chicago would be an unreasonable rat